mass spectrometryabbr., MS
(rus. масс-спектрометрияotherwise масс-спектроскопияabbr., МС)
— an instrumental method of studying substances through their ionisation with the subsequent registration of the mass spectrum (two-dimensional map of charged particles, depending on the ratio of their mass to the charge).

Description

The method is based on ionisation of the substance (analyte) in vacuum and subsequent registration of the ions obtained. The recorded ion spectrum can provide information about the molecular weight of the analyte, its structure, and the concentration of substances in a mixture.

Mass spectrometry is widely used in various fields of chemistry, physics and biology. Depending on the method of ionisation and separation of ions, various types of mass spectrometry are distinguished, see, for example, secondary ionisation mass spectrometry and laser desorbtion/ionisation mass spectrometry. Typically, each type of mass spectrometry is designed for the analysis of a specific class of objects, but in general, the list of applications for the method in terms of diversity of analytes is very long, ranging from atoms to high molecular weight biomolecules.